After struggling badly this season, the Royals today sent Calvin Pickering down to AAA Omaha. Pickering was chosen over 2004 All-Star Ken Harvey as the Royals DH/1B. Pickering has shown more patience at the plate than Harvey and has great power. But so far this season, he's been completely overmatched. Pick has struck out 14 times in 27 AB's and has only 1 HR.
To replace him, the Royals promoted Matt Diaz from Omaha. Diaz is hitting .364 in Omaha with 4 HR and 16 RBI. His OBP of .426 and SLG of .709 is far better than Harvey's .393/.481.
Hopefully Diaz will be able to continue his hot hitting at the major league level providing the Royals some much needed offensive help.
Meanwhile, Harvey continues to toil in Omaha...
Friday, April 22, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Giving Away Outs
In today’s game, Tony Pena again demonstrated why giving away outs isn’t always the best offensive strategy.
The Royals are playing the Twins in the Metrodome. In the top of the sixth, the Royals were trailing 8-5. On the first pitch of the inning, Royals catcher John Buck homered to make it 8-6.
The next batter, Calvin Pickering coaxed a 9 pitch walk. Emil Brown the hit his first pitch over the left field wall to tie the game at 8.
At this point, it’s pretty obvious the Royals are hitting this pitcher pretty well.
Ruben Gotay then bunts for a hit and takes second on the throwing error by the pitcher.
This is where it begins to get ugly. David DeJesus is now up with Gotay at second and nobody out. DeJesus is having a good year so far, and in his first at bat tripled. There are no outs, so it seems to make sense to let David swing away. A fly ball could move Gotay to third, or a hit could score him.
Pena elects to sacrifice. DeJesus is out at first and Gotay moves up to third. There’s now one out and Tony Graffanino is up. Again, only one out so a fly ball scores him.
This time Pena decides to try the suicide squeeze. Why? It’s 8-8. Both teams are scoring easily. It’s only the sixth inning. That one run likely isn’t the game winner. Graffanino misses the bunt and Gotay is tagged out at home.
Graffanino then grounds out to end the inning.
Why in the world would Pena turn to consecutive bunts so early in the game when two struggling hitters just hit homeruns? Let them swing the bats!
The Royals are playing the Twins in the Metrodome. In the top of the sixth, the Royals were trailing 8-5. On the first pitch of the inning, Royals catcher John Buck homered to make it 8-6.
The next batter, Calvin Pickering coaxed a 9 pitch walk. Emil Brown the hit his first pitch over the left field wall to tie the game at 8.
At this point, it’s pretty obvious the Royals are hitting this pitcher pretty well.
Ruben Gotay then bunts for a hit and takes second on the throwing error by the pitcher.
This is where it begins to get ugly. David DeJesus is now up with Gotay at second and nobody out. DeJesus is having a good year so far, and in his first at bat tripled. There are no outs, so it seems to make sense to let David swing away. A fly ball could move Gotay to third, or a hit could score him.
Pena elects to sacrifice. DeJesus is out at first and Gotay moves up to third. There’s now one out and Tony Graffanino is up. Again, only one out so a fly ball scores him.
This time Pena decides to try the suicide squeeze. Why? It’s 8-8. Both teams are scoring easily. It’s only the sixth inning. That one run likely isn’t the game winner. Graffanino misses the bunt and Gotay is tagged out at home.
Graffanino then grounds out to end the inning.
Why in the world would Pena turn to consecutive bunts so early in the game when two struggling hitters just hit homeruns? Let them swing the bats!
Northland Storm
While the Royals are off to an eminently stinky start, my son's 11U baseball team is getting underway as well.
After playing in 2 tournaments, the Northland Storm is off to a 2-4 record. The 4 losses have all come against older, more experienced teams (like a college team playing the Yankees). Our regular season kicks off on May 4.
Check out the web site that my wife is running for the team. Go STORM!
After playing in 2 tournaments, the Northland Storm is off to a 2-4 record. The 4 losses have all come against older, more experienced teams (like a college team playing the Yankees). Our regular season kicks off on May 4.
Check out the web site that my wife is running for the team. Go STORM!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
A New Beginning
Today, my wife and I reached an agreement to purchase a house. We are buying the home for my wife’s parents to live in.
My in-laws got married 51 years ago and have lived in the same house for every one of those 51 years. The historic Northeast area of Kansas City was once a lovely neighborhood of homes, schools and businesses. They raised six children in that small house and have hosted many a holiday get-together, many times with as many as 50 people crammed into the house. It has been a wonderful home for them.
Over the last 10 years or so, the neighborhood has gone through a transition. The older folks who raised their families there have either moved out or passed on. Those moving in are largely Mexican or Vietnamese, and a lot of the business nearby do not speak English. It's difficult for a couple who are in their 70's to feel comfortable.
Crime is also becoming a problem in the area. The main street that runs through the area has become known as a hangout for prostitutes.
Still, my in-laws have wanted to remain in their home. But over the last year, they have been burglarized 3 times. We’ve been very fortunate that the burglaries have occurred when they were not at home, but the pain and frustration has grown with each incident.
My wife and I have for a long time been wondering if there was a way to move them out of the neighborhood. They’ve owned their own small business for years and have made just enough money to get by. They have not had the luxury of being able to put money away for their retirement, yet they were able to raise their children and send them to Catholic schools and to college, if they desired. They’ve had their house paid off for 20 years and they could not possibly take on a new house payment.
In the meantime, my wife and I have lived very well. We both are lucky to have good careers that provide us with plenty of income for our family. We’ve tried to be smart about saving for our retirement and our children’s college. We’ve also spent plenty of money on ourselves.
I recently read C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity,” a book in which Lewis attempts to describe what Christianity is all about. In one chapter, Lewis describes charity. He suggested that charity does not mean just giving a few extra bucks to the less fortunate. Rather, charity should be something that forces you to suffer in some way in order to help others. For a long time, our charity hadn’t reached that level.
We finally decided it was time to devote some of our good fortune to help someone in need. We worked through our budget and determined that we could indeed buy another house to let her parents live in, but that it would be difficult to adjust our own lifestyle to accommodate it. We are determined to make that sacrifice. We set out in search of a nice ranch-style home in a good neighborhood.
We found such a house and will close on it in a few weeks. It is an exciting time as they begin sorting through 50+ years of memories to box them up and move them. Here’s hoping that new memories can be forged in a new house.
My in-laws got married 51 years ago and have lived in the same house for every one of those 51 years. The historic Northeast area of Kansas City was once a lovely neighborhood of homes, schools and businesses. They raised six children in that small house and have hosted many a holiday get-together, many times with as many as 50 people crammed into the house. It has been a wonderful home for them.
Over the last 10 years or so, the neighborhood has gone through a transition. The older folks who raised their families there have either moved out or passed on. Those moving in are largely Mexican or Vietnamese, and a lot of the business nearby do not speak English. It's difficult for a couple who are in their 70's to feel comfortable.
Crime is also becoming a problem in the area. The main street that runs through the area has become known as a hangout for prostitutes.
Still, my in-laws have wanted to remain in their home. But over the last year, they have been burglarized 3 times. We’ve been very fortunate that the burglaries have occurred when they were not at home, but the pain and frustration has grown with each incident.
My wife and I have for a long time been wondering if there was a way to move them out of the neighborhood. They’ve owned their own small business for years and have made just enough money to get by. They have not had the luxury of being able to put money away for their retirement, yet they were able to raise their children and send them to Catholic schools and to college, if they desired. They’ve had their house paid off for 20 years and they could not possibly take on a new house payment.
In the meantime, my wife and I have lived very well. We both are lucky to have good careers that provide us with plenty of income for our family. We’ve tried to be smart about saving for our retirement and our children’s college. We’ve also spent plenty of money on ourselves.
I recently read C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity,” a book in which Lewis attempts to describe what Christianity is all about. In one chapter, Lewis describes charity. He suggested that charity does not mean just giving a few extra bucks to the less fortunate. Rather, charity should be something that forces you to suffer in some way in order to help others. For a long time, our charity hadn’t reached that level.
We finally decided it was time to devote some of our good fortune to help someone in need. We worked through our budget and determined that we could indeed buy another house to let her parents live in, but that it would be difficult to adjust our own lifestyle to accommodate it. We are determined to make that sacrifice. We set out in search of a nice ranch-style home in a good neighborhood.
We found such a house and will close on it in a few weeks. It is an exciting time as they begin sorting through 50+ years of memories to box them up and move them. Here’s hoping that new memories can be forged in a new house.
Royals Random Ramblings
A new Rob & Rany posting showed up overnight. This time R&R discuss how awful the Royals have been this season, and toss around ideas to fix it. The most glaring problem for the Royals is offense.
The most obvious thing to try is to get Emil Brown out of the line up. In Spring Training Brown earned his spot, but since the regular season started he’s been awful. He’s 30 years old and shows no sign of becoming a late bloomer. Matt Diaz has been hitting well in AAA Omaha and since he’s younger than Brown, he should be called up – and soon.
Cal Pickering made the team because of the power threat he brings but if he’s not going to get consistent at bats, he’s not effective. He’s been taking time away from the team to be with his wife as she gave birth to their baby but now that’s over, so let’s see Pickles in the lineup against righties every time.
Another obvious problem is Mike Sweeney. I love Sweeney, but the guy is just trying to hard this season. He’s hacking at everything with his most violent swing. He needs to “stay within himself,” as they say in baseball. As Charlie Lau, George Brett’s hitting instructor, would always say, “try easier.”
Another problem R&R point out, that I’ve discussed in the past, is the poor defense in the Royals system. They have several players who are great hitting prospects, but all project to be DH/1B. Can you play baseball with 8 guys standing around first?
Dave Stewart said it best on Metro Sports last night, when he called the Royal’s catcher John Buck-thirty-five. Buck is hitting a miserable .135 in 37 AB’s. Backup catcher Alberto Castillo is winning the hearts of Royals fans. The Royals are 3-0 in games he’s caught, and he blasted a walk-off homerun to win the game yesterday.
The only other issue is making sure Grienke has his lucky necklace when he pitches...
The most obvious thing to try is to get Emil Brown out of the line up. In Spring Training Brown earned his spot, but since the regular season started he’s been awful. He’s 30 years old and shows no sign of becoming a late bloomer. Matt Diaz has been hitting well in AAA Omaha and since he’s younger than Brown, he should be called up – and soon.
Cal Pickering made the team because of the power threat he brings but if he’s not going to get consistent at bats, he’s not effective. He’s been taking time away from the team to be with his wife as she gave birth to their baby but now that’s over, so let’s see Pickles in the lineup against righties every time.
Another obvious problem is Mike Sweeney. I love Sweeney, but the guy is just trying to hard this season. He’s hacking at everything with his most violent swing. He needs to “stay within himself,” as they say in baseball. As Charlie Lau, George Brett’s hitting instructor, would always say, “try easier.”
Another problem R&R point out, that I’ve discussed in the past, is the poor defense in the Royals system. They have several players who are great hitting prospects, but all project to be DH/1B. Can you play baseball with 8 guys standing around first?
Dave Stewart said it best on Metro Sports last night, when he called the Royal’s catcher John Buck-thirty-five. Buck is hitting a miserable .135 in 37 AB’s. Backup catcher Alberto Castillo is winning the hearts of Royals fans. The Royals are 3-0 in games he’s caught, and he blasted a walk-off homerun to win the game yesterday.
The only other issue is making sure Grienke has his lucky necklace when he pitches...
Monday, April 18, 2005
Free Chuey!
One positive aspect of the Royals games over the last few years has been Chuey Gomez. While the Royals were busy losing games, fans were kept entertained as Chuey, the lemonade guy, walked the stands yelling “lemonade lemonade lemonade!” followed by a loud “woooooooooo!”
It wasn’t long before fans caught on, answering Chuey’s “lemonade” call with a “woooooo!” call of their own. He quickly became a fan favorite and I’m sure he sold a lot of lemonade.
This season, there was a dispute between Chuey and the concession company and Chuey no longer works at Kauffman Stadium.
When Chuey came to KC, he could barely speak English, and his lemonade call was further enhanced by his strong Latin accent. He worked hard and made a name for himself. He learned the language. He became aware that he was more than a typical vendor, and expected to be paid as such.
When things fell through with the Royals, Chuey was not deterred. He started his own company called Gomez Concessions, Inc with his wife. Chuey will come to any event and sell cotton candy, popcorn, and of course lemonade at your event. Golf tournaments, little league tournaments, the Kansas City T-Bones (the Independent League team in Kansas City) are all events where Chuey will perform.
Meanwhile, the Royals have decided to rip Mr. Gomez off and have begun playing Chuey’s trademark “Wooooo!” over the loudspeakers during games this season. I think this is unfortunate. If the Royals want him to “Wooooo!” for them, hire him to sell lemonade. Otherwise, do not steal his trademark and let him make it on his own.
It wasn’t long before fans caught on, answering Chuey’s “lemonade” call with a “woooooo!” call of their own. He quickly became a fan favorite and I’m sure he sold a lot of lemonade.
This season, there was a dispute between Chuey and the concession company and Chuey no longer works at Kauffman Stadium.
When Chuey came to KC, he could barely speak English, and his lemonade call was further enhanced by his strong Latin accent. He worked hard and made a name for himself. He learned the language. He became aware that he was more than a typical vendor, and expected to be paid as such.
When things fell through with the Royals, Chuey was not deterred. He started his own company called Gomez Concessions, Inc with his wife. Chuey will come to any event and sell cotton candy, popcorn, and of course lemonade at your event. Golf tournaments, little league tournaments, the Kansas City T-Bones (the Independent League team in Kansas City) are all events where Chuey will perform.
Meanwhile, the Royals have decided to rip Mr. Gomez off and have begun playing Chuey’s trademark “Wooooo!” over the loudspeakers during games this season. I think this is unfortunate. If the Royals want him to “Wooooo!” for them, hire him to sell lemonade. Otherwise, do not steal his trademark and let him make it on his own.
Monday, April 11, 2005
A Promising Start
The season is only 6 games old, but I already feel better about this Royals team than I did a year ago.
Retrosheet doesn't yet have data for 2004, so I had to do a few quick manual calcuations to try and compare this year's team with last year's.
The Royals completed 2004 with a combined batting average of .259. (According to Baseball Reference)
In six games this year, all Royals batters are hitting at a combined average of .276. As you look down the box score, eight of the 13 players who have hit this season are batting over .300.
I recall glancing at the stats last season and noticing that most players were in the low .200's. Last season was just a strange, snake-bitten season for the Royals where every player slumped.
Team ERA in 2004 was 5.15. So far this season, it is 5.46. But, that includes the bloated ERAs of Jose Lima (10.80) and Jaime Cerda (13.50). Remove those two struggling pitchers, and team ERA is a much more respectable 4.124.
Looking down the stats, we can see that six of the twelve Royals pitchers have ERA's below 5.00. More importantly, the five Royals starters have an total ERA of only 3.744. And that includes Lima's 10.80! (Take out Lima, and Royals starters are giving up a scant 1.73 runs per 9 innings).
So, yes... the stats tell an encouraging story for the 2005 Royals in their opening week. Of course, anybody who deals with statistics can tell you that ERA and batting average are the least important stats and that 6 games is not a valid sample size.
But those two stats do tell us something, and the season is only 6 games old. Here's hoping this trend continues. If they win every other game all season, I'll be a happy camper!
Retrosheet doesn't yet have data for 2004, so I had to do a few quick manual calcuations to try and compare this year's team with last year's.
The Royals completed 2004 with a combined batting average of .259. (According to Baseball Reference)
In six games this year, all Royals batters are hitting at a combined average of .276. As you look down the box score, eight of the 13 players who have hit this season are batting over .300.
I recall glancing at the stats last season and noticing that most players were in the low .200's. Last season was just a strange, snake-bitten season for the Royals where every player slumped.
Team ERA in 2004 was 5.15. So far this season, it is 5.46. But, that includes the bloated ERAs of Jose Lima (10.80) and Jaime Cerda (13.50). Remove those two struggling pitchers, and team ERA is a much more respectable 4.124.
Looking down the stats, we can see that six of the twelve Royals pitchers have ERA's below 5.00. More importantly, the five Royals starters have an total ERA of only 3.744. And that includes Lima's 10.80! (Take out Lima, and Royals starters are giving up a scant 1.73 runs per 9 innings).
So, yes... the stats tell an encouraging story for the 2005 Royals in their opening week. Of course, anybody who deals with statistics can tell you that ERA and batting average are the least important stats and that 6 games is not a valid sample size.
But those two stats do tell us something, and the season is only 6 games old. Here's hoping this trend continues. If they win every other game all season, I'll be a happy camper!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Should Affedt Close?
Before the 2004 season, I blogged about Jeremy Affeldt. In the post, I mentioned that I thought Affeldt could be one of the best pitchers in the AL.
Something has gone awry. Affeldt had such promise coming up. He's a left handed power pitcher who throws a strong fastball and a wicked curve. At times, he's been absolutely unhittable.
Before last year, he had his troublesome fingernail surgically removed to prevent his blister problems and started the season in the rotation with promise of establishing himself. But, for some reason, Affeldt didn't try to pitch for strikeouts. Rather, he pitched to contact. He was quoted in the KC Star as saying that he was coached to pitch this way. This makes absolutely no sense. Why take a chance by letting a batter put the ball in play when you could get a strike out?
Either way, this "coaching" seemed to ruin Affeldt. The Royals moved him to the closer role after it was obvious Mike MacDougal would be out with injuries and ineffectiveness. He recorded 13 saves, but I never felt he was in control. He'd get a save, but only after allowing a runner or two.
Today, in the Royals' first win of 2005, Affledt pitched the ninth and gave up 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 walk. He recorded 1 strikeout. I'll have to look, but has there ever been a successful left-handed closer?
I have always felt that Affeldt should be a starter (a fifth starter) just long enough to show promise and then be traded. Let MacDougal earn the closer's job again. He is more of a prototypical closer with is nasty slider following a fastball that touches 100. His violent windup that at times whips his cap off his head is intimidating to batters.
Something has gone awry. Affeldt had such promise coming up. He's a left handed power pitcher who throws a strong fastball and a wicked curve. At times, he's been absolutely unhittable.
Before last year, he had his troublesome fingernail surgically removed to prevent his blister problems and started the season in the rotation with promise of establishing himself. But, for some reason, Affeldt didn't try to pitch for strikeouts. Rather, he pitched to contact. He was quoted in the KC Star as saying that he was coached to pitch this way. This makes absolutely no sense. Why take a chance by letting a batter put the ball in play when you could get a strike out?
Either way, this "coaching" seemed to ruin Affeldt. The Royals moved him to the closer role after it was obvious Mike MacDougal would be out with injuries and ineffectiveness. He recorded 13 saves, but I never felt he was in control. He'd get a save, but only after allowing a runner or two.
Today, in the Royals' first win of 2005, Affledt pitched the ninth and gave up 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 walk. He recorded 1 strikeout. I'll have to look, but has there ever been a successful left-handed closer?
I have always felt that Affeldt should be a starter (a fifth starter) just long enough to show promise and then be traded. Let MacDougal earn the closer's job again. He is more of a prototypical closer with is nasty slider following a fastball that touches 100. His violent windup that at times whips his cap off his head is intimidating to batters.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Hope Springs Eternal
They say hope springs eternal. That is certainly true for me. Each spring, I fly out to Surprise, Arizona to watch my Kansas City Royals prepare for the upcoming baseball season.
Each year I watch pitchers mow down batters and batters crush balls to the grass berm.
And each year, it seems, the regular season arrives and reality strikes. The Royals just are not a very good team.
This season, my head was filled with optimistic thoughts about the 2005 Royals. Sure, the roster would be made up of more kids than ever, but hey who knows, maybe they’ll all have break-out years.
Mike Sweeney looks to be healthy for the first time in 3 years. He says his off season workouts included his back for the first time ever. He says he’s feels better than he ever has.
Matt Stairs returned to provide a veteran presence. He’ll get fewer at bats this season, so perhaps he won’t be quite as exposed.
Brian Anderson has revamped his delivery and pitched well in Spring Training.
Zack Grienke is indeed a pitching prodigy, and he already has some major league experience under his belt. As he matures, he should gain some velocity to go along with is pin-point control.
And Jose Lima is back. In 2003, he captured the affection of Kansas City when the Royals resurrected his career
And the kids... Yes they are kids, but they hold some promise. Denny Bautista is supposed to be quite the fire-ball pitcher. Ruben Gotay hit like crazy in Spring Training, as did Emil Brown.
Mark Teahen is being rushed to the majors because of injuries, but maybe George Brett’s tutelage will really rub off on him.
But then, reality:
Ruben Gotay: 0-4
Mark Teahen: 0-4, 1 error
Mike Sweeney: 0-4
Jose Lima: 3 Innings, 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 3 Home Runs
Yes, it’s going to be a long summer. But building a team from scratch, with a bunch of kids who have some promise, is never easy. It’s been done. The Twins did it, and almost were contracted in the process. But they were successful, winning the division the last 3 years in a row.
These Royals won’t be bolting through free agency. They are here for a good 5 or 6 years. They will grow up together, and we will watch. They won’t win much this year, but they will fight and scratch. And if all goes well, we’ll see a team in 2006 or 2007 that is ready to win the division.
Hope springs eternal.
Each year I watch pitchers mow down batters and batters crush balls to the grass berm.
And each year, it seems, the regular season arrives and reality strikes. The Royals just are not a very good team.
This season, my head was filled with optimistic thoughts about the 2005 Royals. Sure, the roster would be made up of more kids than ever, but hey who knows, maybe they’ll all have break-out years.
Mike Sweeney looks to be healthy for the first time in 3 years. He says his off season workouts included his back for the first time ever. He says he’s feels better than he ever has.
Matt Stairs returned to provide a veteran presence. He’ll get fewer at bats this season, so perhaps he won’t be quite as exposed.
Brian Anderson has revamped his delivery and pitched well in Spring Training.
Zack Grienke is indeed a pitching prodigy, and he already has some major league experience under his belt. As he matures, he should gain some velocity to go along with is pin-point control.
And Jose Lima is back. In 2003, he captured the affection of Kansas City when the Royals resurrected his career
And the kids... Yes they are kids, but they hold some promise. Denny Bautista is supposed to be quite the fire-ball pitcher. Ruben Gotay hit like crazy in Spring Training, as did Emil Brown.
Mark Teahen is being rushed to the majors because of injuries, but maybe George Brett’s tutelage will really rub off on him.
But then, reality:
Ruben Gotay: 0-4
Mark Teahen: 0-4, 1 error
Mike Sweeney: 0-4
Jose Lima: 3 Innings, 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 3 Home Runs
Yes, it’s going to be a long summer. But building a team from scratch, with a bunch of kids who have some promise, is never easy. It’s been done. The Twins did it, and almost were contracted in the process. But they were successful, winning the division the last 3 years in a row.
These Royals won’t be bolting through free agency. They are here for a good 5 or 6 years. They will grow up together, and we will watch. They won’t win much this year, but they will fight and scratch. And if all goes well, we’ll see a team in 2006 or 2007 that is ready to win the division.
Hope springs eternal.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Slow Start
The Royals got of to a difficult start today, losing to the Tigers 11-2.
Jose Lima started for the Royals, and he bogged down after pitching an efficient first inning. He gave up 2 home runs and lasted only 3 innings.
Looking at the game positively, the young players now have that first game behind them. Pickering got his first homerun, and Teahen now has his MLB debut under his belt.
Another positive is that rookie pitcher Andy Sisco plunked Dmitri Young. Young already had hit 2 HR's. It's the first time in years that Royals pitchers had tried to intimidate a batter by pitching inside. Of course, it didn't do much good as Young hit yet another HR later in the game.
The bottom line is that the Royals pitchers struggled today, while Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman pitched well.
The Royals will enjoy an off day tomorrow and Runelvys Hernandez will take on the Tigers Wednesday. Here's hoping for a better outing for the R's.
Jose Lima started for the Royals, and he bogged down after pitching an efficient first inning. He gave up 2 home runs and lasted only 3 innings.
Looking at the game positively, the young players now have that first game behind them. Pickering got his first homerun, and Teahen now has his MLB debut under his belt.
Another positive is that rookie pitcher Andy Sisco plunked Dmitri Young. Young already had hit 2 HR's. It's the first time in years that Royals pitchers had tried to intimidate a batter by pitching inside. Of course, it didn't do much good as Young hit yet another HR later in the game.
The bottom line is that the Royals pitchers struggled today, while Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman pitched well.
The Royals will enjoy an off day tomorrow and Runelvys Hernandez will take on the Tigers Wednesday. Here's hoping for a better outing for the R's.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Who is Paul Phillips?
Part of the fun of going to Arizona for Spring Training is to acquire as many player autographs as possible. Spring Training is a rather relaxed time where players are more willing to mingle with the fans and sign autographs. When I was in Surprise two years ago, I grabbed a foul ball hit by Aaron Guiel. After the game, he and Ken Harvey both signed it for me (and now they are both in the minors... hmmm...)
I took that same ball back to Arizona last month to see if I could add some signatures to it. I did pretty well. Some of the good names on my ball are Frank White, Kyle Snyder, Mike MacDougal, Denny Hocking and Byron Embry. None of those are particularly big names, (except of course Mr. White). I was especially pleased when Jose Lima agreed to sign my ball. Lima has a big, swooping signature that includes his number (#33). Later that day, minor league catcher Paul Phillips was signing some autographs, so in the spirit of getting as many as I could, I handed my ball over to him. He proceeded to sign his name... OVER JOSE LIMA!!!
Okay, let's review. Lima is a former Cy Young award winner. He won an important playoff game just last fall, pitching a shutout against the heavy-hitting St. Louis cardinals. He will be the opening day starter for the Kansas City Royals.
Phillips is a career minor league catcher. He has a whopping 5 major league at bats on his resume. His arm has been so badly injured, he's only played a few games over the last 3 years.
It's not just me. He also signed over the top of Byron Embry on my son's ball. I hope he breaks a leg.
I took that same ball back to Arizona last month to see if I could add some signatures to it. I did pretty well. Some of the good names on my ball are Frank White, Kyle Snyder, Mike MacDougal, Denny Hocking and Byron Embry. None of those are particularly big names, (except of course Mr. White). I was especially pleased when Jose Lima agreed to sign my ball. Lima has a big, swooping signature that includes his number (#33). Later that day, minor league catcher Paul Phillips was signing some autographs, so in the spirit of getting as many as I could, I handed my ball over to him. He proceeded to sign his name... OVER JOSE LIMA!!!
Okay, let's review. Lima is a former Cy Young award winner. He won an important playoff game just last fall, pitching a shutout against the heavy-hitting St. Louis cardinals. He will be the opening day starter for the Kansas City Royals.
Phillips is a career minor league catcher. He has a whopping 5 major league at bats on his resume. His arm has been so badly injured, he's only played a few games over the last 3 years.
It's not just me. He also signed over the top of Byron Embry on my son's ball. I hope he breaks a leg.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Life or death
Now that Terry Schindler-Schiavo has finally passed, I'll document here my feelings on the matter.
I see it very simply. Any time a human being has the ability to choose whether another human being lives or dies, the choice must always fall on the side of life. Of course, a living will that, in writing, states that a person does not wish to live may change this.
In the Terry Schindler-Schiavo case, it was not clear what her feelings were. In this case, she must be (or should have been) allowed to live.
I agree with Pope John Paul II's statements, made a year ago:
"The intrinsic value and the personal dignity of every human being does not change no matter what the concrete situation of his life."
"The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act."
"Considerations about the 'quality of life,' often actually dictated by psychological, social and economic pressures, cannot take precedence over general principles"
In this argument, I've heard several people argue that they would not want to "live that way." What does "that way" mean exactly? How can one measure the level of quality of life at which it is no longer acceptable to be alive?
I see it very simply. Any time a human being has the ability to choose whether another human being lives or dies, the choice must always fall on the side of life. Of course, a living will that, in writing, states that a person does not wish to live may change this.
In the Terry Schindler-Schiavo case, it was not clear what her feelings were. In this case, she must be (or should have been) allowed to live.
I agree with Pope John Paul II's statements, made a year ago:
"The intrinsic value and the personal dignity of every human being does not change no matter what the concrete situation of his life."
"The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act."
"Considerations about the 'quality of life,' often actually dictated by psychological, social and economic pressures, cannot take precedence over general principles"
In this argument, I've heard several people argue that they would not want to "live that way." What does "that way" mean exactly? How can one measure the level of quality of life at which it is no longer acceptable to be alive?
Sisco Kid
My new issue of Baseball America arrived in the mail yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice article about Royals pitching prospect Andy Sisco.
Sisco is a tall (6'9") left handed pitcher who throws with power (remind you of anyone?). He was drafted by the Cubs out of high school, and was so confident that he would lead them back to a championship, he had a Phoenix tattooed on his arm.
After a frustrating outing, he punched a clubhouse wall and broke his hand. As he struggled to recover, the Cubs left him off their 40 man roster and the Royals picked him up in the Rule 5 draft for $50,000. They must keep him on the major league roster for the entire season, or offer him back to the Cubs for $25,000. The Royals see enough promise in Sisco that they are willing to burn a roster spot for him. They hope he will be able to contribute this season, which would be a bonus. His performance in spring training made the decision easy. He pitched 7 innings, gave up 2 runs on 2 hits. He had 10 K's and 5 BB's and his ERA was 2.57. All respectible numbers.
If Sisco fulfills his promise, it will be another feather in Royals GM Allard Baird's cap. As a small-market GM, he's becoming very good and picking up productive players for next to nothing (see Denny Bautista).
Sisco is a tall (6'9") left handed pitcher who throws with power (remind you of anyone?). He was drafted by the Cubs out of high school, and was so confident that he would lead them back to a championship, he had a Phoenix tattooed on his arm.
After a frustrating outing, he punched a clubhouse wall and broke his hand. As he struggled to recover, the Cubs left him off their 40 man roster and the Royals picked him up in the Rule 5 draft for $50,000. They must keep him on the major league roster for the entire season, or offer him back to the Cubs for $25,000. The Royals see enough promise in Sisco that they are willing to burn a roster spot for him. They hope he will be able to contribute this season, which would be a bonus. His performance in spring training made the decision easy. He pitched 7 innings, gave up 2 runs on 2 hits. He had 10 K's and 5 BB's and his ERA was 2.57. All respectible numbers.
If Sisco fulfills his promise, it will be another feather in Royals GM Allard Baird's cap. As a small-market GM, he's becoming very good and picking up productive players for next to nothing (see Denny Bautista).
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Opening Day Lineup
Here is the announced line up for the Royals Opener in Detroit next Monday:
Jose Lima gets the start.
| 1 | David DeJesus | CF |
| 2 | Ruben Gotay | 2B |
| 3 | Mike Sweeney | 1B |
| 4 | Calvin Pickering | DH |
| 5 | Matt Stairs | RF |
| 6 | Angel Berroa | SS |
| 7 | Terrence Long | LF |
| 8 | John Buck | C |
| 9 | Mark Teahen | 3B |
Jose Lima gets the start.
All Star doesn't make the cut...
WHB is reporting that Ken Harvey did not make the 2005 Royals. Calvin Pickering will make the team as DH/1B. WHB is also announcing that Emil Brown will make the team as the right fielder and that Kyle Snyder will be sent to Omaha to begin work learning to be a reliever.
Harvey was the Royals' only All Star last year after hitting for a bloated average in early 2004. He then regressed and had a terrible second half, and apparently the Royals have finally seen his warts.
This is in keeping with the old baseball axiom... If the fat kid can hit, put him at first base.
Harvey was the Royals' only All Star last year after hitting for a bloated average in early 2004. He then regressed and had a terrible second half, and apparently the Royals have finally seen his warts.
This is in keeping with the old baseball axiom... If the fat kid can hit, put him at first base.
May's Struggles
Today, when I was driving home from work, I listened to the end of the Royals-Padres game on XM Satellite Radio. The broadcast was that of the Padres' radio network, and the annoucers were discussing the Padres pitching rotation.
It seems Darrell May was slated as the fifth starter, but after having a terrible outing on Saturday, his position is in jeopardy. May gave up eight earned runs on nine hits and didn't make it out of the first inning.
While with the Royals last year, May (along with the rest of the team) struggled mightily. But unlike other stand up guys like Brian Anderson, May seemed reluctant to take responsibility for his own poor performance. I seem to remember one newspaper account that had him quoted as saying something like, "I can't hit or field, I can only pitch."
This attitude made it easy for the Royals to seek out a trading partner to send May on his way. The Padres responded, sending outfielder Terrence Long to the Royals in exchange for May.
After Saturday's horrible outing, May still seems to have that attitude:
"Mentally, it kind of pulls you down a little bit when you're giving up that many hits and that many runs in two-thirds of an inning. But it's Spring Training, and I've got to get past it."
The "it's just Spring Training" excuse is fine in February, but when you're one week away from Opening Day, you'd better be showing that you can pitch. May hasn't shown it, and so the Padres today acquired Tim Redding from the Astros.
Redding will most certainly lock up the fifth spot, leaving May out in the cold. May will probably end up in the bullpen as a long reliever or LOOGY. Based on May's reaction in 2004 when he was sent to the bullpen, he will complain about it. If only his performance had given them another choice...
It seems Darrell May was slated as the fifth starter, but after having a terrible outing on Saturday, his position is in jeopardy. May gave up eight earned runs on nine hits and didn't make it out of the first inning.
While with the Royals last year, May (along with the rest of the team) struggled mightily. But unlike other stand up guys like Brian Anderson, May seemed reluctant to take responsibility for his own poor performance. I seem to remember one newspaper account that had him quoted as saying something like, "I can't hit or field, I can only pitch."
This attitude made it easy for the Royals to seek out a trading partner to send May on his way. The Padres responded, sending outfielder Terrence Long to the Royals in exchange for May.
After Saturday's horrible outing, May still seems to have that attitude:
"Mentally, it kind of pulls you down a little bit when you're giving up that many hits and that many runs in two-thirds of an inning. But it's Spring Training, and I've got to get past it."
The "it's just Spring Training" excuse is fine in February, but when you're one week away from Opening Day, you'd better be showing that you can pitch. May hasn't shown it, and so the Padres today acquired Tim Redding from the Astros.
Redding will most certainly lock up the fifth spot, leaving May out in the cold. May will probably end up in the bullpen as a long reliever or LOOGY. Based on May's reaction in 2004 when he was sent to the bullpen, he will complain about it. If only his performance had given them another choice...
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Back From Valleyland
I just returned from my trip to the Pheonix area for some Cactus League baseball. Along with my son Joey, my brother Harry, and Dan and his brother and father, we took in four games and countless hours of practice and workouts.
Our trip started on Saturday with a 7:00am flight to Pheonix. We grabbed our rental and headed straight to HoHoKam Park in Mesa. We browsed the team store before the gates opened at 10:30am. When the gates opened, we headed to our bleacher seats down the first base line and watched the Cubbies take BP. We scored a couple of baseballs and Cubs pitching prospect Jermaine VanBuren was kind enough to sign Joey's ball. Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs went on to beat the Brewers 4-2 in the split squad game.
After the game we found our hotel and had dinner at the Depot Cantina, a nice little Mexican spot we found during last year's trip.
On Sunday, we got up early so we could drive up to Surprise, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. The Surprise Recreation Campus is a stunning 132 acre complex that includes baseball fields, youth fields, aquatic center, library and the beautiful 10,500 seat Surprise Stadium. The small city of Surprise took a chance and built the campus for their community, and then was able to lure both the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers there to train. Since, the city has experience incredible growth in population and development.
The practice fields are located right next to the Stadium, and the gates opened at 10:00am. We wandered in and watch as the Royals went through their routines - stretching, long toss, a base running drill, then batting practice. (Matt Stairs told my brother Harry that stretching his arm with the bungee cord is "such a waste of time.") We were able to gather up a few more baseballs and autographs. We also wandered up to the minor fields to watch the prospects go through their workouts. At around noon, we walked over to the stadium to watch the Royals take on the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, Dennis Tankersly had a tough outing and the Royals ended up losing 6-3. On the positive side, Mike Wood started and continued his impressive spring with 3 perfect innings.
After the game, we headed to Streets of New York Pizza for an early dinner of wings and pizza. We showed our ticket stub for a nice discount and ate for only about $5 per person. What a bargain!
Sunday was much the same as Saturday with a trip back to the Surprise Recreation Campus. Again we watched the morning workouts, and scored some more autographs. I was standing next to an LA Dodgers fan when Jose Lima came by to sign some autographs. The fan was complaining to me earlier about his dissatisfaction with Dodger GM (and Moneyball guy) Paul DePodesta. While Lima was signing Joey's ball, the Dodger fan told Lima that he hopes Lima has a "monster year" to "send DePodesta a message." Lima responded with a curt "He's (DePodesta) an idiot." I guess not everybody is enthused about the Moneyball movement. Lima also said that he's going to be on the Jim Rome show this Friday. I'm going to try to catch the interview to hear what LimaTime has to say.
Sunday's game featured an impressive outing by Zack Grienke and the Royals pounded Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. Outfield prospect Emil Brown had a monster game going 3 for 3 with 5 RBI's. Jimmy Gobble struggled giving up 3 runs in 3 innings. The Royals won the game 12-5.
Sunday's dinner feature the exotic Arizona fare served at Applebee's.
On Monday, we retured to HoHoKam to again see the Cubs take on the Brewers. The Cubbies pulled this one out despite a questionable call. With the tying run on third and a runner at first, the Brewer batter hit a double play ball to short. The out was made at second but the Cubs first baseman failed to dig the throw out at first, allowing the tying run to score - or so we thought. The second base umpire ruled interferance on the runner at second, thus calling the batter out at first ending the game. We suspect the umpire had an appointment to make.
Monday was the first day that it really warmed up, reaching the mid seventies with the sun shining brightly. Overall, the trip was a blast, and I'm already looking forward to next year's trip. I gave my new camera quite a workout, and I hope to post pictures here soon.
We now look forward to the teams solidifying their rosters and getting the season underway. The Royals will open on April 4 in Detroit.
Our trip started on Saturday with a 7:00am flight to Pheonix. We grabbed our rental and headed straight to HoHoKam Park in Mesa. We browsed the team store before the gates opened at 10:30am. When the gates opened, we headed to our bleacher seats down the first base line and watched the Cubbies take BP. We scored a couple of baseballs and Cubs pitching prospect Jermaine VanBuren was kind enough to sign Joey's ball. Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs went on to beat the Brewers 4-2 in the split squad game.
After the game we found our hotel and had dinner at the Depot Cantina, a nice little Mexican spot we found during last year's trip.
On Sunday, we got up early so we could drive up to Surprise, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. The Surprise Recreation Campus is a stunning 132 acre complex that includes baseball fields, youth fields, aquatic center, library and the beautiful 10,500 seat Surprise Stadium. The small city of Surprise took a chance and built the campus for their community, and then was able to lure both the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers there to train. Since, the city has experience incredible growth in population and development.
The practice fields are located right next to the Stadium, and the gates opened at 10:00am. We wandered in and watch as the Royals went through their routines - stretching, long toss, a base running drill, then batting practice. (Matt Stairs told my brother Harry that stretching his arm with the bungee cord is "such a waste of time.") We were able to gather up a few more baseballs and autographs. We also wandered up to the minor fields to watch the prospects go through their workouts. At around noon, we walked over to the stadium to watch the Royals take on the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, Dennis Tankersly had a tough outing and the Royals ended up losing 6-3. On the positive side, Mike Wood started and continued his impressive spring with 3 perfect innings.
After the game, we headed to Streets of New York Pizza for an early dinner of wings and pizza. We showed our ticket stub for a nice discount and ate for only about $5 per person. What a bargain!
Sunday was much the same as Saturday with a trip back to the Surprise Recreation Campus. Again we watched the morning workouts, and scored some more autographs. I was standing next to an LA Dodgers fan when Jose Lima came by to sign some autographs. The fan was complaining to me earlier about his dissatisfaction with Dodger GM (and Moneyball guy) Paul DePodesta. While Lima was signing Joey's ball, the Dodger fan told Lima that he hopes Lima has a "monster year" to "send DePodesta a message." Lima responded with a curt "He's (DePodesta) an idiot." I guess not everybody is enthused about the Moneyball movement. Lima also said that he's going to be on the Jim Rome show this Friday. I'm going to try to catch the interview to hear what LimaTime has to say.
Sunday's game featured an impressive outing by Zack Grienke and the Royals pounded Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. Outfield prospect Emil Brown had a monster game going 3 for 3 with 5 RBI's. Jimmy Gobble struggled giving up 3 runs in 3 innings. The Royals won the game 12-5.
Sunday's dinner feature the exotic Arizona fare served at Applebee's.
On Monday, we retured to HoHoKam to again see the Cubs take on the Brewers. The Cubbies pulled this one out despite a questionable call. With the tying run on third and a runner at first, the Brewer batter hit a double play ball to short. The out was made at second but the Cubs first baseman failed to dig the throw out at first, allowing the tying run to score - or so we thought. The second base umpire ruled interferance on the runner at second, thus calling the batter out at first ending the game. We suspect the umpire had an appointment to make.
Monday was the first day that it really warmed up, reaching the mid seventies with the sun shining brightly. Overall, the trip was a blast, and I'm already looking forward to next year's trip. I gave my new camera quite a workout, and I hope to post pictures here soon.
We now look forward to the teams solidifying their rosters and getting the season underway. The Royals will open on April 4 in Detroit.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
FitNesse Group
If you interested in the FitNesse testing tool, check out the FitNesse Yahoo Group:
Click to join fitnesse
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Appier's Goodbye?
Last year, I wrote about how I thought I had seen Kevin Appier's final pitch in the majors.
He left a game early with pain in his arm. He then "retired" so that the Royals wouldn't have to pay him while he was out.
He reported to Spring Training this year hoping to earn a spot in an otherwise very young rotation. Appier's struggling this spring, and I have a feeling he won't make the team. Here are his stats so far this spring:
I've always been a fan of Appier, especially in his first tour of duty in KC. But now I think it's best for him to move aside and give some younger guys a chance.
He left a game early with pain in his arm. He then "retired" so that the Royals wouldn't have to pay him while he was out.
He reported to Spring Training this year hoping to earn a spot in an otherwise very young rotation. Appier's struggling this spring, and I have a feeling he won't make the team. Here are his stats so far this spring:
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HBP | BB | SO |
| K Appier | 0 | 0 | 12.71 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
I've always been a fan of Appier, especially in his first tour of duty in KC. But now I think it's best for him to move aside and give some younger guys a chance.
A few zingers
Joe Posnanski's column in today's Kansas City Star was a humorous look at this year's Kansas City Royals. In the column, JoPo points out that never before have the Royals been so disrespected. This is really the first year that the Royals have been picked to be dead last in the majors. This season, the Royals are the longest shot for making the World Series. And for good reason. The team is coming off a 104 loss season and made no obvious moves to improve themselves for 2005.
In the column, JoPo included some hilarious zingers he received when he asked for ideas for a Royals column:
“George Brett: A better hitter (now) than anyone on the 2005 Royals.”
“Royals vs. T-Bones: Royals superior at almost every position.”
“You should discuss the betting line on the annual Royals father-son game. The kids are favored.”
“The Royals plan: Why not new uniforms?”
“I would join in, but I don't know anything about the Royals.”
“The 2005 Royals: Where are they now?”
“The Kansas City Royals: Could they be a better football defense than the Chiefs?”
“The Kansas City Royals: At least our best players go somewhere other than the Yankees.”
“Jimmy Gobble — a fun name to yell!”
“Is Tony Peña currently the best catcher in a Royals uniform?”
“The Kansas City Royals passed all their drug tests — and it shows.”
In the column, JoPo included some hilarious zingers he received when he asked for ideas for a Royals column:
“George Brett: A better hitter (now) than anyone on the 2005 Royals.”
“Royals vs. T-Bones: Royals superior at almost every position.”
“You should discuss the betting line on the annual Royals father-son game. The kids are favored.”
“The Royals plan: Why not new uniforms?”
“I would join in, but I don't know anything about the Royals.”
“The 2005 Royals: Where are they now?”
“The Kansas City Royals: Could they be a better football defense than the Chiefs?”
“The Kansas City Royals: At least our best players go somewhere other than the Yankees.”
“Jimmy Gobble — a fun name to yell!”
“Is Tony Peña currently the best catcher in a Royals uniform?”
“The Kansas City Royals passed all their drug tests — and it shows.”
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